Cassandra Wilson | Glamoured

Tags

African Ameircan, Blues, Cassandra Wilson, Female Vocalist, Jazz, Pop

Within the next couple of months the wait for new music is nearing and end by one of the most substantial, celebrated, and provocative voices in jazz composer and musician Cassandra Wilson has a new album for her fans on Blue Note Records. Now, until this manifests lets take a moment and revisit “Glamoured” by the Jackson, Mississippi native to rejuvenate our spirit and encompass an intricate collaboration of vocal, and lyrics equaling in a tone of near perfection. —Rob Young | The Urban Flux

Cassandra Wilson | Glamoured – [Blue Note Records, 2003]

Cassandra Wilson - Glamoured

One of the simple pleasures of life is putting a Cassandra Wilson disc into the player and hitting “start“. Her voice takes me to a spot that few singers know how to reach…and “Glamoured” proves, once again, why Cassandra is one of our most important performers.

This release is a great mix of brilliantly conceived covers and incredible originals. One of the fascinating things about being a CW fan is following the growth of her talents as a songwriter. While the promise was always there (think “Redbone“), with each new release, her songwriting skills have grown stronger, to where we now have originals that rival the covers she chooses. No where is this more evident than on the toe tapping “I Want More“, with an outstanding drum contribution from Terri Lyne Carrington, and “On This Train” where that haunting smoky voice just shines through – this is the type of song that reminds you why you love Cassandra’s vocals.

Ramsey Lewis | Dance of The Soul [Revisited]

Tags

African Ameircan, Jazz, Piano, Smooth Jazz

Ramsey Lewis

Chicagoan, elder statesman, pianist, jazz historian, and radio personality Ramsey Lewis has probably recorded more hit records as an instrumentalist then anyone in the music business with exception of Kenny G. With that said, the highly regarded Lewis is perhaps one of the most consistent artist in the music industry.

At a glance, over the decades Mr. Lewis is known to straddle the fence as a crowd pleaser. Especially back in the sixties with tunes like “Wade in the Water and The In Crowd.” To no surprise, jazz purist found his appetite for crossing over an annoyance as Ramsey’s vision appeared to be guided by his zeal to tap into a larger audience. In fact, the aforementioned songs were the first jazz records I remember hearing as a teenager.